Earl Rivers Regiment of Foote Muster

History came to life at Shaw House in Newbury this weekend with the Earl Rivers Regiment of Foote civil war enactors. Using the front lawn of the house as their training and parade ground there was drill marching, musket firing, and pike practice. Inside the house there were other members demonstrating homecrafts of the civil war period.

In full period costumes, following the flag of the regiment, they marched around the parade ground set out in front of the house a few times before stopping and drawing pikes.

At one point I was worried because they were set up for musket firing facing the crowd. Fortunately, they said that their health and safety would not allow them to shoot the public, so they turned the other way and fired. This let off lots of smoke with the sweet smell of cordite. Near the firing line there was a fire extinguisher which was brought onto the field before firing practice began. This must be a modern requirement because the fire extinguisher was not invented until 1818, some 150 years after the end of the civil war.

Entrance was free to watch the activities but there was a bucket for donations by the entrance to the house, and parking by the house was easy, but as it had been very wet I had to stay on the tarmac path in my wheelchair to watch the events.